DHARAMSALA: BJP leader and Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma has strongly opposed the collection of ₹2, 500 from poor taxi operators, calling it unjust and anti-people.
In a statement issued on Friday, Sharma said that the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation has become the first urban body in Himachal Pradesh to impose such a fee on struggling taxi drivers. “This is completely wrong and amounts to injustice against the poor, ” he said, demanding that the Chief Minister clarify where else in the state such collections are being made.
Attacking the Congress government, Sharma alleged that its “illogical decisions” were causing distress to the public. He also questioned the decision to make trade licenses mandatory for shopkeepers, terming it “beyond comprehension.” He claimed that the functioning of Dharamshala Municipal Corporation was under a cloud of suspicion, as no such system exists in other municipal bodies of the state.
Highlighting poor infrastructure, Sharma said the monsoon had completely exposed the inefficiency of the Corporation. Roads across the city have been damaged, with the Khada Danda–McLeodganj road in a particularly dilapidated condition. “This is the road that leads to the world-renowned Dalai Lama Temple, where His Holiness resides. By failing to repair it, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government is bringing disrepute to Dharamshala at the international level, ” he said. The broken road, he added, is making it extremely difficult for patients, children, and women to commute.
Sharma further alleged that several houses, cowsheds, irrigation channels, and village paths had been damaged due to rains, but no Congress representative had visited the affected areas. “The Congress government has pushed the Dharamshala constituency back by several years, ” he remarked.
He pointed out that the Dharamshala–Sakoh road is in terrible condition, while no drainage system has been built on the Sheila–Dhagwar road. The Dharamshala–Sudhed road too, he said, is badly damaged. He also accused the government of deliberately withholding funds meant for the Central University (CU), calling it a betrayal of the people of Dharamshala.
Sharma warned that the BJP would not remain silent and promised a strong response to the Congress government.